COURTESY OF JIVE
Members are, from left, Tyler Jones, Matt Wong, Aaron Barrett, Scott Klopfenstein, Dan Regan and Carlos de la Garza.
Six years have passed since Southern California ska-punk band Reel Big Fish gained national attention and airtime on MTV with the album "Turn the Radio Off" and its lead single, "Sellout." With the release of "Cheer Up!" earlier this year, however, the guys from Huntington Beach, Calif., seem to be sliding down a slippery slope towards doing exactly that. Making a splash
By Jason Genegabus
jason@starbulletin.comLong gone are the heavy metal and hard-core punk influences from the band's early years, remnants of which could be heard on the 1995 independent release "Everything Sucks." As bands like Sublime, No Doubt and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones got SoCal ska on the map during the mid-'90s, lead vocalist/guitarist Aaron Barrett and bass player Matt Wong decided to find themselves a brass section, now comprised of the multi-talented Scott Klopfenstein, trombone player Dan Regan and trumpet player and newest band member Tyler Jones. Drummer Carlos de la Garza rounds out the group.
After enjoying the moderate success of "Sellout" in 1996 and a cover of A-Ha's "Take On Me" the following year, the Fishermen started to become disillusioned by their record company. So, in typical recording industry fashion, the band decided to sign with a bigger label, joining the likes of such diverse artists as A Tribe Called Quest, Nick Carter and Groove Armada at Jive Records.
Their resulting effort, "Cheer Up!," brings Reel Big Fish even further away from the fringes with its well-produced mainstream pop-rock sound.
"We played ska punk for years and years, and the stuff the kids are listening to is so much different than when we started," Klopfstein told MeanStreet Magazine earlier this year. "We're tired of listening to pop music that sucks.
"How long has it been since there were really horns in pop music?" he went on to ask.
So have the guys from Southern California finally sold out with their first release on a big label like Jive? It's still hard to tell. With an '80s cover turning into a hit song, a stint on the Warped Tour earlier this year and even a Rice Krispies television commercial under their belts, Reel Big Fish are making all the necessary moves to position themselves for mainstream stardom. As long as the guys continue to produce the same sugar-coated pop punk that makes teenage crowds jump up and down, there's nothing stopping Reel Big Fish from taking that next big step to widespread commercial success.
Reel Big Fish with opening act Go Jimmy Go Fishin' to the beat
Where: World Cafe, 1130 N. Nimitz Highway
When: 7 p.m. Sunday; doors open at 6 p.m.
Tickets: $17.50, all ages
Call: 591-4450 or 526-4400 to order tickets by phone
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